the  WESTERN  FEDERATION 


TO  THE 


' 

,  ^ 


“RED  BOOK" 


■<>»> 


OF  THE 


MINE  OPERATORS’ ASSOCIATION 


e 


“I  HAVE  ADVOCATED  THE  SAME  POLICY  ADOPTED 
BY  THE  CITIZENS'  ALLIANCE  IN  IDAHO  SPRINGS. 
IF  WE  HAD  DRIVEN  THE  UNION  MEN  OUT  OF 
THE  CRIPPLE  CREEK  DISTRICT,  AS  THEY  DID 
IN  IDAHO  SPRINGS,  WE  WOULD  NOT  NOW  BE 
UNDER  THE  EXPENSE  OF  PAYING  FOR  THE 
STATE  MILITIA,  AND  THE  RESULTS  WOULD 
HAVE  BEEN  BETTER.  WHILE  SOME  OF  THE  MEN 
WHO  WERE  DRIVEN  OUT  OF  IDAHO  SPRINGS 
HAVE  RETURNED,  THEY  HAVE  NEVER  BEEN 
HEARD  OF  SINCE.  YOU  MIGHT  POSSIBLY  FIND 
THEIR  BONES  BLEACHING  IN  AN  ABANDONED 
SHAFT.” — From  a  conversation  of  the  president  of  the 
mine  operators'  association  with  Mr.  Walling  on  board  of 
train  between  Denver  and  Colorado  Springs,  January,  1904. 

;  DURING  THE  MONTH  OF  SEPTEMBER,  1903, 
CAPT.  H.  M.  BURGE,  A  SENIOR  COMMANDER  IN 
THE  UNITED  STATES  NAVY,  VISITED  THE  CRIP¬ 
PLE  CREEK  DISTRICT,  AND  AFTER  CONVERSING 
WITH  THE  STRIKING  MINERS,  DONATED  $500  TO 
THE  CAUSE  OF  THE  FEDERATION. 


ASSOCIATION 


A  PARTIAL  LIST,  SHOWING 
851  MEN  MURDERED  IN 
LESS  THAN  FOUR  YEARS 


COMPILED  BY 

THE  WESTERN  FEDERATION  OF  M  NERS 
DENVER,  COLORADO. 

1904. 


Miners  Magazine  Print, 
Denver,  Colo. 


3  3 

lAUc. 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


Co^> 

OF  MURDERS 


COMMITTED  BY  THE  MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSO¬ 
CIATION'  THROUGH  THE  EMPLOYMENT  OF 
INCOMPETENT  ENGINEERS  AND  A  WILLFUL 
DISREGARD  OF  THE  STATE  LAWS  CONCERN¬ 
ING  SAFETY  APPLIANCES: 


Killed  on  the  Stratton’s 

Independence  Mine, 

January  26th,  1  904: 

C.  C.  STATEN 

JOHN  SEBECK 

W.  R.  FRAZIER 

JOE  SMITHERUM 

EDWARD  TWIGS 

L.  A.  WAGGONER 

HARRY  A.  YEOMAN 

EDWARD  SMITH 

JOE  OY EH Y 

H.  F.  BROWN 

W.  B.  COLLINS 

J.  L.  SEWALD 

L.  P.  JACKSON 

FRANK  COCHRANE 

HARRY  COGENE. 

Murdered  and  Robbed  at  Dunville: 
JOHN  CARLE Y. 


Killed  in  the  Victor  Riot: 

JNO.  M.  DAVIS.  ROXY  McGEE. 


Murdered  in  Denver: 
MICHAEL  O’CONNELL. 


Injured  in  Victor  Riot, 

Which  was  Incited  by  C.  C.  Hamlin,  Secretary  of  the 
Mine  Operators’  Association: 

ARTHUR  PARKER.  THOS.  McMANUS. 

FIRE  CHIEF  MURPHY.  EDW’D  McKELVEY. 

PETER  CALDERWOOI). 


-1  CO 


3 


MINE  OPERATORS'  ASSOCIATION,,’ 


POSITION  OF  THE  PEOPLE  OF 

COLORADO. 


Speaking*  for  72,000  citizens  of  the  State,  we  charge 
organized  capital  with  being  responsible  for  the  most 
horrible  crimes  that  have  ever  been  perpetrated  in 
this  nation. 

We  charge  organized  capital  with  bribery,  and 
brazenly  purchasing*  legislative  bodies. 

W  e  charge  organized  capital  with  the  responsibil¬ 
ity  for  defeating  the  eight  hour  law,  and  every  measure 
that  has  for  its  object  the  betterment  Of  the  condi¬ 
tions  of  the  masses  of  the  people. 

.  * 

We  condemn  organized  capital  in  its  attempt  to 

/ 

fasten  upon  the  taxpayers  of  the  state  Peabody’s  war 
debt,  created  in  an  effort  to  crush  organized  labor. 


p 


2.01  7.0 


c 

*  ( 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


INDICTMENTS. 


r  < 


r  f  * 
•  t  c  r 


COLORADO  MIN$  OPERATORS’ 
ASSOCIATION 


WESTERN  FEDERATION  OF 
MINERS 


vs. 

WESTERN  FEDERATION  OF 
MINERS. 


vs, 

The  CITIZENS’  ALLIANCE  AND  THE 
COLORADO  MINE  OPERATORS’ 
ASSOCIATION. 


(1.)  That  a  large  number  of  crim¬ 
inals  and  lawless  men  have  been  wel¬ 
comed,  supported  and  sheltered  by  the 
Western  Federation  of  Miners. 


(2.)  That  the  officers  of  that  orga¬ 
nization  and  a  large  number  of  the 
members,  while  perhaps  not  commit¬ 
ting  crimes  themselves  for  which  they 
can  be  prosecuted,  do  directly  and  in¬ 
directly  advise  or  encourage  the  law¬ 
less  among  them  to  commit  crimes. 


(3.)  That  these  officers  and  this  ele¬ 
ment  preach  disrespect  for  the  law 
and  contempt  for  the  lawful  author¬ 
ities  and  openly  and  publicly,  as  indi¬ 
viduals,  approve  of  and  gloat  over  the 
slugging,  dynamiting  and  murdering 
of  non-union  men  by  their  criminal  as¬ 
sociates. 


(4.)  That  where  this  organization 
has  had  its  members  in  local  public 
offices,  or  where  it  has  had  the  power 
to  influence  peace  officers  and  courts 
in  this  state,  it  has  paralyzed  the  hand 
of  justice  and  made  it  next  to  impos¬ 
sible  to  convict  members  of  the  fed¬ 
eration  caught  in  the  act  of  commit¬ 
ting  crimes. 


(1.)  That  a  large  number  of  ex-con¬ 
victs,  gamblers,  desperadoes  and  other 
criminals  have  been  and  now  are, 
knowingly  employed  and  paid  by  the 
Colorado  Mine  Operators’  Association 
and  the  citizens’  alliance  in  Cripple 
Creek,  Telluride  and  elsewhere  in  the 
state  as  deputy  sheriffs,  guards,  de¬ 
tectives,  etc. 

(2)  That  the  officers  of  these  or¬ 
ganizations  and  a  large  number  of 
their  members  have  not  only  commit¬ 
ted  crimes  themselves,  for  which  they 
could  and  should  be  prosecuted  and 
punished,  but  the  organizations  as 
such,  have  directly  and  openly  aided 
and  abetted  the  same,  and  their  mem¬ 
bers  have  boasted  and  approved  of 
such  crimes. 

(3.)  That  the  association  and  alli¬ 
ance,  while  shouting  hypocritically  for 
“law  and  order,”  have  openly  defied 
the  courts,  destroyed  the  liberty  of 
the  press,  invaded  the  sanctity  of  the 
home,  caused  arrests  without  warrant, 
^imprisoned  men  without  charges  of 
crime,  driven  men  from  the  county 
after  first  robbing  them,  and  while  de¬ 
claring  such  men  to  be  criminals  of 
the  deepest  dye,  have,  without  com¬ 
punction,  dumped  them  on  neighbor¬ 
ing  communities.  They  have  tortured 
men  and  intimidated  women  and  chil¬ 
dren  in  order  to  obtain  confessions, 
and  openly  and  publicly  boasted  and 
approved  such  crimes,  as  organiza¬ 
tions,  by  adopting  and  publishing  reso¬ 
lutions  commendatory  of  them. 

(4.)  That  wherever  the  association 
or  alliance  have  not  had  their  mem¬ 
bers  in  public  office,  they  have,  when¬ 
ever  deemed  necessary,  compelled  by 
violence  and  intimidation,  the  resig¬ 
nation  of  duly  elected  public  officials 
and  the  appointment  of  their  own  cre¬ 
atures  to  the  so-called  vacancies. 
Wherever  their  members  or  tools  are 
in  office,  or  where  they  have  had  the 
power  to  influence  peace  officers  and 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


5 


courts  in  this  state,  the  law,  as  estab¬ 
lished  since  Magna  Charta,  has  been 
subverted  by  decisions  which  have 
made  the  state  subject  of  derision  to 
the  entire  country,  the  hand  of  justice 
has  been  paralyzed,  and  it  has  been  fu¬ 
tile  to  attempt  conviction  of  their 
members,  although  caught  in  the  act 
of  committing  crime  and  openly  con¬ 
fessing  and  boasting  of  it. 

This  charge  is  supported  and  proven 
by  the  decisions  themselves  and  by 
the  following  facts:  The  informations 
for  riot  and  conspiracy  which  a  court 
compelled  an  unwilling  district  attor¬ 
ney  to  file  at  Idaho  Springs  against 
some  eighty  members  of  those  organi¬ 
zations,  charging  them  as  participants 
in  a  mob  which  had  driven  miners 
from  their  homes,  were  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment  dismissed  by  the 
same  district  attorney,  and  the  crim¬ 
inals  allowed  to  escape  trial  and  pun¬ 
ishment,  though  the  whole  community 
could  have  testified  to  their  identity. 
At  the  same  time,  the  same  district 
attorney,  aided  by  the  attorneys  of 
those  organizations  and  backed  by  all 
the  money  needed,  made  two  attempts 
by  two  separate  trials,  to  convict  min¬ 
ers  of  the  crimes  of  arson  and  con¬ 
spiracy  for  which  the  same  mob  had 
pretended  to  expel  them.  They  were 
each  and  all  triumphantly  acquitted 
without  introducing  evidence  in  their 
defense. 

Not  one  of  the  mob  of  “best  citizens” 
who  exiled  miners  from  Telluride  has 
been  prosecuted.  When  Judge  Ste¬ 
vens  issued  his  injunction  to  aid  the 
exiles  in  returning  home,  the  mob  ap¬ 
pealed  to  the  governor  of  the  state  for 
force  to  defy  the  courts,  and  he  or¬ 
dered  out  the  militia,  placed  the  lead¬ 
er  of  the  mob  in  command,  and  the 
court  stands  defied  and  helpless  to 
this  day. 

At  Cripple  Creek,  a  mob  in  brass 
and  blue,  under  orders  from  a  puppet 
governor  controlled  by  the  association 
;fnd  alliance,  filled  the  court  room  with 
armed  men,  and  defied  the  court  in 
open  session.  While  this  mob  of  sol¬ 
diers  was  in  the  district,  it  aided  and 
abetted  the  members  of  the  alliance 
and  association,  in  compelling,  by 
force  and  threats,  the  resignations  of 
the  duly  elected  sheriff  and  coroner 
and  other  civil  officers  of  Teller  coun¬ 
ty,  and  the  appointment  of  their  own 
creatures  to  the  so-called  vacancies. 

Ever  since  this  lawless  governor  re¬ 
called  his  mob  of  soldiers  from  Crip- 


6 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


(5.)  That  this  organization,  having 
formally  and  officially  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  so-called  Socialist  party, 
is  opposed  to  our  present  form  of  gov¬ 
ernment  and  is  aiming  at  its  over¬ 
throw,  together  with  the  abrogation  of 
the  present  constitution. 


(6.)  That  this  organization  teaches 
its  members  to  regard  the  wealth  they 
produce  from  the  property  of  others 
as  their~own,  thus  encouraging~theft 
(of  ore,  for  instance)  and  also  inflam¬ 
ing  the  minds  of  its  members  against 
their  employers,  against  the  law, 
against  organized  society  and  against 


pie  Creek  the  reign  of  terror  contin¬ 
ues.  Stores  belonging  to  a  foreign 
corporation  have  been  looted  in  broad 
daylight  by  mobs  led  by  A.  E.  Carlton, 
president  First  National  Bank;  Nelson 
Franklin,  former  mayor,  and  Cliff  New¬ 
comb,  cashier  First  National  Bank, 
and  other  “law-abiding  citizens.”  Not 
one  of  these  criminals  fears  arrest  or 
punishment,  and  daily  outrages  are 
committed  with  impunity,  by  mob.s 
composed  of  members  of  the  alliance 
and  association,  or  acting  under  or¬ 
ders  from  them,  and  acting  with  the 
approval  of  the  peace  officers  of  the 
county,  who  they  forcibly  installed  in 
office.  These  crimes  are  committed 
with  the  consent  and  approval  of  the 
governor,  who  refuses  to  enforce  the 
law  and  restore  order  on  the  pitiful 
pretense  that  he  has  “not  been  offi¬ 
cially  notified.” 

(5.)  That  these  organizations  have 
formally  and  officially  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  so-called  Republican 
narty,  which  they  pretend  to  be  still 
the  party  of  Lincoln.  That  each  of 
them  is  opposed  to  our  present  form 
of  government,  and  aiming  at  its  over¬ 
throw.  To  this  end  they  have  de¬ 
stroyed  and  confiscated  property,  de¬ 
stroyed  the  freedom  of  the  press,  de¬ 
fied  the  courts,  nullified  the  writ  of 
habeas  corpus,  exercised  the  right  of 
search  without  warrant,  denied  the 
right  of  trial  by  jury,  exercised  the 
power  of  banishment,  denied  the  right 
of  citizens  to  keep  and  bear  arms,  and 
trampled  upon  every  other  guarantee 
of  personal  liberty  made  by  the  con¬ 
stitution  of  the  state  and  of  the  Unit¬ 
ed  States.  Besides  these  and  other 
violations  of  the  constitutional  rights 
of  citizens,  they  are  seeking  to  abro¬ 
gate  the  constitution  and  install  a 
plutocracy,  and  to  that  end,  have 
adopted  as  their  rallying  cry  a  phrase, 
classic  in  its  terseness,  and  aptly  de¬ 
scriptive  of  the  men  and  their  pur¬ 
pose,  to  wit:  “To  hell  with  the  con¬ 
stitution.” 

(6.)  That  the  organizations  men¬ 
tioned  teach  their  members  that  the 
sole  aim  and  end  of  existence  is  to 
acquire  wealth  without  producing  it. 
and  that  therefore  the  methods  of 
trusts,  stock  watering,  stealing  ore 
from  neighbors  under  the  guise  of 
trespass,  buying  the  interests  of  wid* 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


7 


the  peace  and  safety  of  the  public. — 
From  Recent  Fiction  Published  by 
Mine  Operators’  Association. 


WHERE  IS  THE  PROOF? 


ows  and  orphans  in  adjoining  proper¬ 
ty,  without  informing  them  of  its 
value,  and  other  similar  methods  used 
by  predatory  wealth,  are  respectable, 
when  compared  to  the  economic  the¬ 
ory  that  wealth  should  belong  to  him 
who  produces  it,  or  to  Lincoln’s  as¬ 
sertions  in  his  message  to  Congress  in 
1864,  that  “to  secure  to  each  laborer 
the  whole  product  of  his  labor  is  a 
worthy  object  of  any  government,” 
and  that  “labor  is  superior  to  capital 
and  deserves  much  the  higher  consid¬ 
eration.” 

The  facts  which  support  and  prove 
these  charges  made  by  the  federation 
are  within  the  knowledge  of  every  cit¬ 
izen  of  Colorado. 


ARGUMENT  OF  THE  FEDERATION. 


A  SHORT  TIME  AGO  the  Mine  Owners’  Association  issued  what 
is  known  as  a  “red  book,”  branding  the  Western  Federation  of 
Miners  with  nearly  every  crime  that  has  been  committed  in  the  metal¬ 
liferous  regions  of  the  West  since  the  year  1892,  even  before  the  fed¬ 
eration  was  launched  as  a  national  organization  in  the  city  of  Butte, 
Montana,  in  the  year  1893.  This  “red  book,”  purporting  to  give  the 
criminal  record  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  has  been  scat¬ 
tered  broadcast  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  British  Co¬ 
lumbia  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  gentlemen 
holding  federal  jobs  in  the  postal  department  have  become  active  in 
the  distribution  of  this  document,  entertaining  the  opinion  that  if  the 
crimes  alleged  against  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners  are  given 
credence  by  the  reading  public,  that  arguments  of  extenuation  can  be 
used  in  the  coming  political  campaign,  to  justify  the  lawless  and  un¬ 
constitutional  methods  utilized  by  Governor  Peabody  and  his  uni¬ 
formed  hired  assassins  in  their  relentless  efforts  to  destroy  the  Western 
Federation  of  Miners.  The  very  fact  that  this  “red  book”  has  been 
scattered  throughout  the  eastern  states,  and  the  fact  that  postmasters 

are  acting  as  distributing  agents,  is  strong  conclusive  proof  that  the 

administration  at  Washington  is  interested  in  its  circulation,  to  condone 
the  inactivity  of  the  Roosevelt  administration  in  making  an  investiga¬ 
tion  of  the  industrial  troubles,  that  have  made  Colorado  a  bastile  for 
the  enslavement  of  men  who  rebelled  against  the  oppression  of  corpo¬ 
rate  tyranny. 


8 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


W.  F.  M.  APPEALS  FOR  INVESTIGATION. 

It  will  no  doubt  be  remembered  that  the  Western  Federation  of 
Miners  during  the  last  session  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States,  sent  forth  to  Washington  telegrams  and 
petitions  to  the  respective  senators  from  the  state  of  Colorado,  impor¬ 
tuning  them  to  bring  about  a  congressional  investigation  of  the  labor 
troubles  in  Colorado.  It  will  likewise  be  remembered  that  the  executive 
board  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners  forwarded  telegrams  to 
President  Roosevelt  calling  upon  him  to  investigate  conditions  in  Colo¬ 
rado.  Will  any  sane,  reasonable  or  honest  man  entertain  the  opinion 
for  one  moment  that  criminals  court  investigation!  To  charge  the 
Western  Federation  of  Miners  as  being  a  criminal  organization,  is  to 
charge  every  fraternal  society  and  every  church  with  harboring  crim¬ 
inals,  as  the  membership  of  churches  and  fraternal  organization* 
throughout  the  mining  camps  of  the  West  are  largely  made  up  of  mem 
bers  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners. 

THE  CITIZENS’  ALLIANCE  OPPOSES  INVESTI- 

GrATION. 


It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Mine  Owners’  Association  in  con¬ 
junction  with  the  Citizens’  Alliance  of  the  state  of  Colorado,  used  ail 
.their  influence  and  power  to  prevent  a  congressional  investigation,  and 
even  went  so  far  as  to  denounce  in  the  most  vehement  and  vigorous 
language  Senator  Patterson,  for  daring  to  introduce  resolutions  asking 
that  the  Senate  should  take  cognizance  of  the  Colorado  industrial  trou¬ 
bles.  The  real  reason  that  the  Mine  Owners’  Association  raised  barriers 
against  a  congressional  investigation  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
mine  operators  were  afraid  of  the  record  that  would  be  exposed  by  the 
scrutiny  of  an  unbiased  tribunal. 

The  Mine  Owners’  Association  in  the  “red  book,’’  in  charging  the 
membership  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners  with  various  crimes, 
use  frequently  the  words  “no  arrests” 'and  “no  convictions.” 

The  reason  that  “no  arrests”  were  made  was  owing  to  the  fact 
that  upon  many  occasions  the  mine  operators  were  directly  responsible. 
The  reason  that  there  were  “no  convictions”  was  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  Mine  Owners'  Association  and  the  element  which  it  controlled, 
were  so  anxious  to  criminate  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners  that  the 
real  criminals  escaped. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  all  the  Cripple  Creek  mining  district 
was  in  El  Paso  county,  until  the  year  1899,  when  the  county  was  di¬ 
vided  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature.  , 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


9 


MINE  OWNERS  ARM  THUGS. 

Up  to  the  year  1899  El  Paso  county,  as  well  as  the  Cripple  Creek 
district,  was  under  the  control  of  Republican  officials,  who  were  not 
members  of  organized  labor  and  who  obeyed  implicitly  without  ques¬ 
tion  the  instruction  of  the  mine  operators.  As  proof  of  this  assertion, 
the  records  will  show  that  the  county  commissioners  of  El  Paso  county 
appropriated  $50,000  to  arm  1,200  deputized  thugs  and  desperate  char¬ 
acters,  who  were  known  as  Sheriff  Bower’s  brigade,  to  invade  the  Crip¬ 
ple  Creek  district  in  the  year  1894. 

The  Mine  Owners’  Association  charge  the  Western  Federation  of 
Miners  with  purchasing  rifles  and  ammunition  to  arm  their  member¬ 
ship  “to  kill  and  destroy  and  attack  the  officers  of  the  law,”  but  the 
mine  operators  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the  time  when  they  used  their 
infltience  with  the  commissioners  of  El  Paso  county  to  make  an  appro¬ 
priation  of  $50,000  for  the  purpose  of  arming  a  hired  mob  to  meet  the 
state  militia  under  the  administration  of  Davis  H.  Waite,  when  he  as 
governor  used  the  armed  power  of  the  state  to  uphold  the  law  and 
prevent  bloodshed. 

OFFICIALS  NOT  MEMBERS  OF  W.  F.  M. 

Since  1899  nearly  all  the  prominent  public  offices  have  been  filled 
by  men  who  were  never  members  of  organized  labor.  Mayor  Shockey 
of  Cripple  Creek,  Mayor  French  and  ex-Mayor  Franklin  of  Victor,  Dis¬ 
trict  Judges  Seeds,  Cunningham  and  Lewis,  District  Attorney  Trow¬ 
bridge  and  County  Judge  Frost  were  never  members  of  organized 
labor.  Commissioners  Saunders  and  Pfiefer  were  never  identified  with 
organized  labor,  and  yet  the  Mine  Owners’  Association  publishes  a  de¬ 
liberate  falsehood  in  attempting  to  show  that  the  entire  county  was 
under  the  control  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners. 

DOMINATED  BY  CORPORATIONS. 

The  state  of  Colorado  is  absolutely  under  the  control  of  the  mine 
operators’  association,  the  railroad  corporations,  the  Colorado  Fuel  and 
Iron  Company  and  the  smelting  trust.  The  greatest  crime  that  has 
been  committed  in  Colorado  was  when  the  above  named  corporations 
purchased  the  legislative  and  executive  departments  of  state,  and  de¬ 
feated  the  sovereign  will  of  the  people  in  the  enactment  of  an  eight- 
hour  law.  It  is  not  our  purpose  to  go  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the 
state  of  Colorado,  to  refresh  the  memory  of  the  people  concerning  the 
crimes  that  have  been  perpetrated  by  mine  operators  who  place  no  value 
upon  the  lives  of  their  employes. 


10 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


MURDERS  AND  OUTRAGES. 

It  is  unnecessary  even  at  this  opportune  time  to  recite  again  the 
history  of  the  Hanna,  Wyoming,  disaster,  which  resulted  in  the  murder 
of  338  men  through  the  culpable  negligence  and  criminal  greed  of  mine 
owners.  In  Scofield,  Utah,  some  four  years  ago,  nearly  300  miners  were 
murdered  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  mine  owners  in  complying 
with  the  law  governing  ventilation. 

In  May,  1901,  137  men  were  murdered  by  an  explosion  at  Ferine, 
British  Columbia,  and  the  coroner’s  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  cul¬ 
pable  negligence  on  the  part  of  the  company. 

In  Park  City,  Utah,  at  the  Daly-West  mine,  thirty-five  miners  were 
murdered  by  an  explosion  of  giant  powder  that  was  stored  in  the  mine, 
contrary  to  law  and  every  safeguard  which  common  sense  should  sug¬ 
gest. 

At  Dutch  Flat,  California,  less  than  a  year  ago,  three  members  of 
the  Western  Federation  of  Miners  were  tarred  and  feathered  at  the  in¬ 
stigation  of  the  mine  owners. 

The  miners  of  Morenci  and  Clifton,  Arizona,  were  compelled  to 
violate  the  territorial  law,  providing  for  eight  hours,  by  the  mine 
owners. 

In  Ely,  Nevada,  in  1902,  a  mine  owner,  with  his  hired  Pinkerton, 
fired  upon  an  unarmed  committee  of  the  union,  murdering  three  men. 

The  murder  of  F.  D.  Whitney  of  Coeur  d’Alenes,  Idaho,  on  De¬ 
cember  23rd,  1897,  charged  to  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  is 
well  remembered  by  residents  of  Gem,  Idaho — that  Whitney  as  fore¬ 
man  of  the  Ilelena-Frisco  mill,  was  in  possession  of  information  detri¬ 
mental  to  the  mine  operators  who  were  robbing  the  Black  Bear  Mining 
Company. 

CRIMES  IN  COLORADO. 

• 

To  return  to  the  scene  where  the  mine  owners  have  committed  their 
greatest  crimes,  the  state  of  Colorado,  where  the  mines,  the  smelters, 
the  steel  works  and  the  mills  have  populated  the  grave  yards — these  are 
crimes  that  are  reported  every  day  in  the  newspapers  without  any  ar¬ 
rests  or  convictions  of  those  who  are  responsible. 

The  military  was  not  called  out  when  twenty-two  miners  lost  their 
lives  by  being  smothered  to  death  on  account  of  a  fire  which  destroyed  a 
boarding  house  connected  with  the  tunnel  of  the  Smuggler-Union  mine. 
The  law  had  not  been  complied  with  as  to  the  proper  adjustment  of 
doors. 

The  militia  did  not  “bullpen”  the  mine  operators  when  fifteen  men 


MINE  OPERATORS'  ASSOCIATION. 


11 


were  killed  fit  the  Stratton-Independence  mine  on  the  26th  of  January, 
1904,  when  a  coroner’s  jury  brought  in  the  following  verdict,  which 
shows  conclusively  that  these  men  were  murdered: 

‘‘We,  the  jury,  find  that  the  above  named  men  came  to  their  deaths 
at  Stratton’s  Independence  mine  on  January  26,  1904,  by  the  engineer, 
Francis  T.  Gellese,  losing  control  of  the  engine  there  in  use  and  pulling 
the  cage  into  the  sheave,  thereby  parting  the  cable  and  precipitating  the 
cage,  loaded  with  the  above  named  men,  down  the  shaft  to  their  deaths. 
And  we  further  find  that  if  the  management  had  not  neglected  the  usual 
necessary  precautions  the  said  casualties  might  have  been  reduced,  if  not 
avoided. 

“The  usual  precautions  referred  to,  which  were  not  taken,  are  as 

follows : 

“First — No  man  is  required  to  preside  at  the  collar  of  the  shaft 

while  hoisting  men. 

“Second — No  safety  device  was  in  use  on  the  cable  to  prevent  the 
over-winding  of  the  same. 

“Third — Men  were  loaded  and  unloaded  without  placing  the  cage 

upon  the  chairs. 

“Fourth — The  disk  brakes  of  the  hoisting  engine  were  detached 

from  their  usual  positions  and  were  useless. 

» 

“We,  the  jury,  would  recommend  that  all  safety  appliances  and 
the  precautions  herein  named  and  recommended  be  adopted  and  used, 
not  only  by  the  Stratton’s  Independence  mine,  but  by  all  mines  in  the 
district  not  now  using  the  same,  thereby  reducing  to  a  minimum  the 
damage  to  life  and  limb  that  men  working  in  mines  are  subjected  to. 

“We  further  recommend  that  a  competent  extra  man  should  stand 
near  the  engineer  while  he  is  hoisting  or  lowering  men,  whose  duty 
should  be  to  render  any  assistance  needed.  Thomas  M.  Hamill,  fore¬ 
man  ;  Frank  Atkins,  clerk;  John  Horgan,  T.  S.  Leland,  R.  W.  Reed, 
J.  L.  Topping.” 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  miners  who  were  murdered  on 
the  Stratton-Independence:  C.  C.  Staten,  John  Sebeck,  W.  R.  Frazier, 
Joe  Smitherum,  Edward  Twigs,  Harry  A.  Yeoman,  Joe  Overy,  W.  B. 
Collins,  Frank  Cochrane,  Harry  Cogene,  L.  A.  Waggoner,  Edward 
Smith,  IT.  F.  Brown,  J.  L.  Sewald,  L.  P.  Jackson. 

Some  Other  Crimes  and  Outrages  That  Have  Been  Committed — 
Marshal  James  Clarke,  murdered  in  Telluride.  No  arrest. 

Oscar  Thiesel,  murdered  at  the  Tomboy  mine  by  Bob  Meldrum,  the 
hired  thug  of  the  mine  operators’  association.  Out  on  bonds  of  $10,000. 

Henry  Maki,  chained  to  a  telegraph  pole  by  militia  men  and  dep¬ 
uties. 


12 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


Before  any  trouble  took  place  at  Telluride  the  mine  operators  ini' 
ported  desperadoes  to  intimidate  union  men  and  made  armories  out 
of  their  mines. 

The  assaults  and  intimidations  of  the  hired  desperadoes  are  too 
numerous  to  chronicle. 

On  July  29th,  1903,  fourteen  miners  of  Idaho  Spring’s  were  ban¬ 
ished  from  their  homes  by  the  citizens’  alliance  and  the  mine  operat¬ 
ors’  association.  Their  appeal  to  the  governor  for  protection  was  in 
vain. 

Eighty-nine  members  of  the  mob  were  arrested  and  the  cases  were 
nolle  prossed  by  a  citizens’  alliance  district  attorney. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1896,  during  the  Leadville  strike,  live 
men  were  murdered  by  the  armed  guards  of  the  mine  owners.  No  ar¬ 
rests. 

In  June,  1894,  Adjutant  General  Tarsney  was  tarred  and  feath¬ 
ered  near  Colorado  Springs,  by  the  hired  deputies  of  the  Mine  Owners’ 
Association.  No  arrests. 

Before  continuing  further  with  a  recital  of  the  crimes  perpetrated 
by  the  mine  operators’  association,  we  desire  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
public  to  the  fact  that  many  of  the  charges  made  against  the  federation 
were  committed  by  the  mine  operators  themselves,  or  by  parties  who 
were  acting  under  their  instructions. 

The  blowing  up  of  the  Strong  mine  has  been  charged  against  the 
federation  and  members  of  the  organization  were  convicted  through  pur¬ 
chased  perjurers,  and  it  was  afterwards  shown  beyond  a  reasonable 
doubt  that  the  blowing  up  of  the  Strong  was  nothing  more  nor  less 

than  a  conspiracy  upon  the  part  of  the  owners.  Strong  himself  was 
afterwards  arrested  for  the  crime  and  the  stockholders  of  the  property 
used  every  effort  to  send  Strong  to  the  penitentiary. 

The  assault  on  February  4th,  1902,  on  E.  E.  Bradway  and  T.  S. 
Ferris,  members  of  law  and  order  league  in  Cripple  Creek,  was  com¬ 
mitted  by  the  gamblers  because  the  law  and  order  league  was  insti¬ 
tuted  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  the  law  against  gambling  and  the 
law  and  order  league  had  the  sympathy  and  support  of  the  Western 
Federation  of  Miners.  This  assault  has  been  charged  against  the  fed¬ 
eration. 

February  24th,  1902,  eight  assay  offices  were  dynamited  in  the 
various  towns  of  the  Cripple  Creek  district  at  about  the  same  hour, 
showing  concerted  action.  The  public  press  at  the  time  charged  the 
mine  operators  with  the  crime,  gving  as  the  reason  that  these  assay  of¬ 
fices  were  ‘ 1  fences  ’  ’  for  stolen  ore. 

December  27,  1901,  Martin  Gleason,  manager  of  the  Wild  Horse 
mine,  was  murdered,  not  because  he  had  offended  a  walking  delegate 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


13 


as  asserted,  but  because  lie  was  in  possession  of  valuable  information 
and  papers,  in  connection  with  mines  that  were  then  in  litigation: 

July  23,  1901,  arson,  El  Paso  reduction  works  at  Florence,  set  on 
fire  and  destroyed,  loss  approximately  $250,000.  Crime  committed  for 
the  purpose  of  probably  securing  insurance.  No  arrests. 

The  foregoing  shows  the  animus  of  the  mine  operators’  association 
towards  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  when  they  charge  their  em¬ 
ployes  with  crimes,  for  which  they,  the  mine  operators,  are  more  than 
likely  responsible. 

THE  BEST  CLASS  OF  MEN  ON  EARTH. 

If  the  members  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners  are  criminals, 
is  it  not  strange  and  singular  that  the  mine  operators  harbored  these 
criminals  for  ten  long  years,  and  who  in  the  beginning  of  the  strike, 
declared  that  the  members  of  the  federation  were  the  best  class  of 
men  on  the  face  of  the  earth  ?  Is  it  not  strange  and  in  explainable  that 
in  the  early  months  of  the  strike  in  the  Cripple  Creek  district  that  the 
mine  operators  exhausted  every  effort  to  have  their  former  employes, 
whom  they  now  charge  as  criminals,  to  return  to  work  ? 

Is  it  not  true  that  the  mine  operators  met  these  men  as  brothers  in 
the  various  fraternal  societies  ? 

Is  it  not  true  that  every  man  who  has  been  banished  would  have 
been  permitted  to  remain  in  the  Cripple  Creek  district  and  would  have 
been  given  employment,  providing  that  he  would  surrender  his  prin¬ 
ciples  and  take  out  a  card  in  the  citizens’  alliance? 

Do  the  mine  operators  entertain  the  opinion  that  a  reading  and 
thinking  public  will  believe  that  the  federation  was  in  any  way  con¬ 
nected  with  the  crimes  that  they  have  compiled  ? 

MINE  OWNERS  EMPLOY  CRIMINALS. 

They  have  taken  the  criminal  record  of  the  richest  mining  district 
of  the  world,  whose  mountains  of  gold  have  lured  the  criminals  and 
desperate  characters  of  every  state  of  the  Union,  many  of  whom  are  now 
in  the  employ  of  the  mine  operators’  association,  and  the  crimes  of 
these  men — namely,  Frank  Yannick,  Charles  Ladd,  Roger  Wilkes,  D. 
C.  Scott,  K.  C.  Sterling,  Charles  McKinney,  L.  S.  Moore,  Jack  Bauman 
(deceased),  and  many  others  paroled  and  ex-convicts,  are  now  charged 
against  the  men,  who  for  long  years  have  delved  in  the  bowels  of  the 
earth.  Con  there  be  any  connection  between  the  federation  and  the 
following  crimes? 


14 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


UNWARRANTED  CHARGES. 

May  1,  1899.  Shooting  and  dynamiting.  Phillip  Shuck,  assayer, 
shot.  His  assay  office  was  dynamited  later.  No  one  punished. 

January  6,  1900.  Assault  and  robbery.  B.  G.  Shell  dragged  from 
his  home  and  badly  beaten  and  robbed.  No  arrests. 

January  7,  1900.  Attempted  murder.  J.  W.  Tarpy  assaulted  and 
nearly  killed. 

January  17,  1900.  Attempted  murder.  Attempt  made  to  kill  Tom 
Scott. 

March  2,  1900.  Assault.  Walter  Ross  sandbagged.  No  arrests. 

March  28,  1901.  Dynamite.  Grand  View  shaft  house  on  Gold  hill 
dynamited.  Buildings  partly  burned.  No  arrests. 

April  21,  1901.  Dynamite.  Rittenhouse  shaft,  Gold  hill,  dyna¬ 
mited.  No  arrests. 

June  14,  1901.  Arson.  U.  S.  Fish  arrested  for  setting  tire  to  a 
hotel.  Released  and  prosecution  dropped.  Fish  closely  connected  with 
the  union. 

June  15,  1901.  Agent  Niles  of  the  Short  Line  waylaid  and  badly 
beaten  by  masked  men,  who  mistook  him  for  a  mine  owner  whom  they 
had  trouble  with  about  hiring  non-union  men. 

July  23,  1901.  Arson.  El  Paso  reduction  works  at  Florence  set 
on  fire  and  destroyed.  Loss,  approximately  $250,000.  No  arrests. 

July  2,  1901.  Assault.  Mark  Moran  assaulted  Thomas  Maher,  a 
non-union  man,  at  Independence.  Arrested  but  released. 

August  14,  1901.  Street  tight.  Vicious  fight  near  Ed  Doyle’s  sa¬ 
loon  at  Midway  between  union  and  non-union  men.  No  arrests. 

August  15,  1901.  Robbery.  John  Reardon  sandbagged  and  robbed, 
across  the  street  from  sheriff ’s  office.  No  arrests. 

August  21,  1901.  Assault  and  ore  stealing.  Robert  Dunlap,  night 
watchman,  and  Engineer  Lynch  of  Vindicator  mine  beaten  badly,  bound 
and  gagged.  Seven  sacks  of  high  grade  ore  stolen.  No  arrests. 

September  5,  1901.  Free  fight.  Free  fight  between  union  and  non¬ 
union  men  at  Independence.  Twenty  engaged.  Matter  dropped. 

September  27,  1901.  Attempted  arson  and  murder.  Fred  Tag¬ 
gart  struck  down  and  beaten  at  Anaconda  and  house  set  on  fire.  No 
arrests. 

November  10,  1901.  Dynamited.  John  Tyler  (colored),  non-union 
barber,  died  as  a  result  of  the  dynamiting  of  his  shop  on  September 
10th.  Perpetrators  of  the  crime  escaped. 

February  4,  1902.  Assault.  E.  E.  Bradway  and  T.  S.  Ferris,  mem¬ 
bers  of  law  and  order  league,  assaulted  and  beaten  in  Cripple  OTeek. 
Matter  dropped  by  authorities. 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


15 


February  24,  1902.  Dynamiting.  Eight  assay  offices  were  dyna- 
mited  between  the-  hours  of  3  and  5  a.  m.  ..  Donoln  Ore  thieves.  No 

*  *  o  *'  v  >  b 

arrests.  "  ■>’  ; 

\  .  !’  y  .  * 

March  7,7  1902.  Dynamiting.  Zoe  shaft  house  dynamited  and  dc- 
stroyed.  No  arrests.  •  -  ’ 

]\larch  7,  1902.  Dynamiting.  Cabin  of  “  Scotty  v  MeTh tosh  dyna- 

•>  *  j  ,  '  \ 

mited.  No  arrests.  * 

April  11,  1902.  Assault.  Masked  men  assaulted  Watchman  Par¬ 
ker  at  Damon  shaft  house,  locked  him  in  a  room.  No  arrests. 

May  30,  1902.  Fights.  Morning  paper  reports  seven  disgraceful 
and  bloody  fights  during  the  preceding  night.  No  arrests. 

October  28,  1902.  Federation  publicly  denounces  Democratic 
nominee  for  state  auditor  as  unfair  to  organized  labor  because  he  acted 
as  deputy  sheriff  in  the  Cripple  Creek  strike  of  1894. 

October  30,  1902.  Sam  Brown,  non-union  railway  agent,  driven 
out  of  district  by  armed  men ;  had  received  many  threatening  letters 
and  had  been  twice  burned  out  of  house  and  home.  No  arrests. 

September  1,  1903.  Attempted  murder.  Late  at  night  a  crowd  of 
federation  of  miners  dragged  from  his  bed  an  old  man  named  Stewart, 
a  non-union  carpenter  engaged  in  building  a  fence  around  the  Golden 
Cycle  mine;  took  him  out  into  the  dark,  beat  him  into  insensibility  and 
then  shot  him  through  the  back,  leaving  him  for  dead.  Stewart  had 
refused  to  join  the  union.  He  recovered  after  long  suffering,  but  is 
crippled  for  life. 

“Slim”  Campbell,  one  of  these  federation  desperadoes,  brutally 
murdered  a  woman  of  the  half  world  the  night  following  his  release. 
He  was  also  allowed  to  make  his  escape  by  the  sheriff. 

September  14,  1903.  Attempted  train  wrecking.  Spikes  pulled 
from  rails  in  attempt  to  throw  electric  car  down  400-foot  embankment. 
No  arrests. 


October  21,  1903.  Attempted  murder.  Attempt  to  kill  the  eager  on 
the  Vindicator  was  discovered.  Would-be  murderer  caught  in  shaft. 

November  11,  1903.  Attempted  train  wrecking.  Attempt  was 
made  to  Avreck  Florence  and  Cripple  Creek  train  carrying  non-union 
Avorkmen  at  2  o’clock  a.  m.  Wrench  broke,  so  that  sufficient  damage 
was  not  committed  to  ditch  train. 

November  14,  1903.  Second  attempt  made  to  wreck  Florence  and 
Cripple  Creek  train.  Information  of  purpose  became  known  and 
Charles  McKifinev  Avas  apprehended  Avhile  in  the  act.  He  turned 
state’s  evidence,  stating  that  he  was  hired  by  Sherman  Parker  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  local  federation  and  implicating  one  Foster. 
Parker  and  Foster  Avere  brought  to  trial  and  a  strong  case  Avas  made 
against  them,  but  they  produced  the  usual  alibi  with  the  usual  result. 


16 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


8  *  #  ,  J 

The  jury  selected  bv  the  federation  sheriff  promptly  brought  a  verdict 
of  “not  guilty.?  • 

1  *•  *  4  , 

June  6,  1904.  Wholesale  murder.  Attempt  made  at  2  a.  m.  with 
an  infern  ah  machine  to  kill  fifty  or  sixty  non-union  men  at  Independ- 

t  r  t  f|  ^ 

ence  depot’.  Thirteen  Were  killed  and  several  others  horribly  mutilated 
and  maimed.  Wire,  used  to  cause  the  explosion  was  found. 

Same  day.  Eiot  and  murder.  A  large  force  of  armed  federation 
men  stationed  in  their  headquarters  building  in  Victor  fired  upon  a 
crowd  of  people,  who  were  listening  to  a  speech  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  killing  two  non-union  men — Davis  and  M ’Gee, — and 
wounding  many  more. 


REPUBLICAN  PARTY  PAYS  THE  FREIGHT. 

We  have  reproduced  a  partial  list  of  the  crimes  that  are  charged 
in  the  ‘red  book”  against  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  and  we 
desire  to  state  that  Mr.  Rittenhouse,  the  author  and  compiler  of  the 
“red  book”  recently  admitted  that  he  could  not  hope  to  fasten  these 
crimes  upon  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  but  that  the  “red  book” 
was  a  campaign  document  issued  by  the  Republican  party.  This  ac¬ 
counts  for  the  absurd  and  preposterous  charges  that  are  indiscrim¬ 
inately  made  to  blacken  the  character  of  the  federation. 


PROOF  OF  UNWARRANTED  CHARGES. 

“Slim”  Campbell  was  never  a  member  of  the  Western  Federation 
of  Miners.  What  benefit  could  accrue  to  the  Western  Federation  of 
Miners  through  the  murder  of  an  unfortunate  woman  of  the  half  world. 

Phillip  Shuck  publicly  denies  the  “red  book”  statement  that  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  W.  F.  M.  committed  assault  upon  him. 

No  one  could  have  a  stronger  incentive  to  dynamite  assay  offices 
than  the  mine  operators,  who  looked, upon  these  offices  as  “fences”  for 
stolen  ore. 

The  charge  that  Stewart,  who  was  beaten  and  shot  in  the  back  by 
federation  men,  is  rebutted  by  the  stories  of  his  neighbors,  who  claim 
that  the  assault  grew  out  of  a  family  quarrel,  and  that  his  wife  was 
the  principal  aggressor. 

When  the  explosion  occurred  at  the  Vindicator  mine  the  property 
was  guarded  by  the  state  militia,  and  it  was  not  possible  for** any  union 
men  to  have  entered  the  mine.  It  is  evident  that  McCormick  and  Beck 
planned  to  bring  off  an  explosion,  as  it  was  currently  reported  that  the 
state  militia  was  about  to  be  ordered  home  and  the  mine  owners’  asso¬ 
ciation  was  against  this  removal.  McCormick  and  Beck,  in  planting 
this  infernal  machine,  made  some  mistake,  which  resulted  in  their  death. 


17 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 

If  the  Vindicator  cases  had  come  to  trial  and  were  not  nolle  prossed 
by  the  district  attorney,  who  is  completely  controlled  by  the  mine  own¬ 
ers’  association,  indisputable  evidence  would  have  been  produced  to 
prove  that  Beck  attempted  to  dynamite  a  cabin  in  Lake  City  that  was 
occupied  by  five  men,  against  one  of  whom  he  had  a  personal  grudge, 
and  also  that  the  same  Beck  dynamited  a  mine  in  order  to  prevent  a 
successful  competitor  from  obtaining  a  lease. 

In  the  train  wrecking  cases  the  court  records  will  show  that  Mc¬ 
Kinney  was  a  self-confessed  criminal,  that  he  was  a  hired  detective  of 
the  mine  owners’  association,  and  that  he  was  employed  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  attempting  to  wreck  a  train,  and  then  place  the  blame  on 
the  Western  Federation  of  Miners.  By  his  own  confession  it  was  shown 
that  he  was  promised  $1,000  from  the  mine  owners’  association  and 
transportation  for  himself  and  wife  to  any  part  of  the  world.  It  was 
further  promised  that  in  case  he  was  convicted  of  the  crime  of  train 
wrecking,  he  was  to  receive  an  immediate  pardon  from  Governor  Pea- 

WIMW  1 1 —Ml  ■WWW  HP  Hi ——  II  I  Bill  I  — —  mu  HI  ~  -  "WW.-.r-JLH.  ■  .v  - 

body.  District  Attorney  Trowbridge,  in  his  statement  to  the  jury,  said 
that  there  was  no  possibility  of  McKinney  being  saved  from  the  peni¬ 
tentiary,  yet  regardless  of  the  statement  of  the  district  attorney,  re¬ 
gardless  of  the  confession  of  McKinney  convicting  himself  ns  the  crim- 
inal,  members  of  the  mine  owners’  association  became  his  bondsmen 
to  secure  his  release.  McKinney  was  at  liberty  when  the  explosion  oc¬ 
curred  at  the  Independence  depot,  and  was  seen  passing  Simm’s  ranch 
at  8  o’clock  that  morning.  Who  could  have  had  the  strongest  motive  for 
bringing  about  the  explosion  at  the  Independence  depot?  The  military 
had  been  withdrawn  at  the  time  of  the  explosion,  and  everything  looked 
promising  that  the  federation  would  win  the  strike.  It  was  openly  ad¬ 
mitted  that  the  output  from  the  mines  was  far  from  being  satisfactory. 
A  decision  was  pending  in  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  federation  was 
expecting  results  from  that  decision.  The  convention  of  the  federation 
was  then  in  session  and  the  convention  appointed  a  committee  to  in¬ 
vestigate  conditions  in  the  Cripple  Creek  district.  The  report  of  that 
committee  left  no  room  in  the  minds  of  the  delegates  in  the  conven¬ 
tion  that  the  federation  would  eventually  win  the  strike;  that  but  few 
of  the  mines  were  paying  expenses  and  the  four  co-operative  stores 
established  by  the  federation  were  virtually  doing  the  business  of  the 
district.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  federation  could  possibly  have 
no  motive  to  use  dynamite  or  to  destroy  human  life.  Tt  is  a  well  remem¬ 
bered  fact  that  bloodhounds  were  brought  to  the  district,  that  they 


18 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


followed  a  trail  leading  to  the  home  of  Detective  Bemore,  who  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  mine  owners  *  association.  They  were  then  taken 
back  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster  and  again  followed  the  trail  to  Be¬ 
more  ’s  home.  A  third  attempt  was  made  with  the  hounds  and  they 
followed  a  trail  to  the  powder  magazine  of  the  Vindicator  mine. 

ANARCHY. 

The  civil  authorities  then  in  office  were  discovering  a  clew  that 
would  lead  to  the  detection  of  the  perpetrator  or  perpetrators  of  the 
crime,  and  it  was  then  that  steps  were  taken  for  the  calling  of  a  meet¬ 
ing  of  the  mob  at  Victor,  by  Avhich  the  civil  authorities  might  be  deposed 
in  order  that  the  hand  of  the  mine  owners’  association  might  not  be 
exposed  in  the  explosion.  The  civil  authorities  were  deposed  by  the 
mob,  acting  under  the  influence  of  the  incendiary  utterances  of  C.  C. 
Hamlin,  the  secretary  of  the  mine  owners’  association,  who  declared 
that  “for  every  one  man  who  lost  his  life  at  the  Independence  depot, 
fifty  federation  men  should  be  hanged  and  the  rest  driven  out  of  the 
state.  ’  ’ 


W.  F.  M.  OFFERS  REWARD. 

The  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  in  convention  assembled,  upon 
hearing  of  the  explosion  and  the  loss  of  life,  immediately  offered  $5,000 
reward  for  the  detection  and  conviction  of  the  criminal  or  criminals. 
The  governor  of  the  state  offered  no  reward.  Neither  did  the  mine 
owners’  association,  the  citizens’  alliance  or  the  commissioners  of  Tel¬ 
ler  county.  But  the  commissioners  of  Teller  county,  under  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  the  mine  owners’  association,  appropriated  $10,000  to  Samuel 
D.  Crump  (the  attorney  of  the  mine  owners’  association  who  took  an 
active  part  in  inciting  the  riot  at  Victor)  to  fasten  the  guilt  of  rioting 
and  murder  against  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners. 

What  have  the  mine  owners’  association,  citizens’  alliance  and 
the  usurpers  of  civil  authority  done  towards  discovering  or  bringing 
the  perpetrators  of  the  Independence  explosion  to  justice?  Is  the  public 
aware  that  when  the  citizens’  alliance  held  a  meeting  at  10  o’clock  a. 
m.  on  June  6tli,  that  every  act  from  that  hour  points  to  the  fact  that  pre¬ 
concerted  action  had  been  taken  to  depose  the  civil  authorities ;  the  suc¬ 
cessors  of  the  regularly  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  and  marshal  of 
Victor  had  been  selected,  the  bonds  of  the  usurpers  having  been  ar- 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


19 


ranged.  The  dastardly  crimes  that  quickly  followed  was  the  work  of 
men  made  drunk  in  a  citizens’  alliance  store,  where  two  barrels  of 
whisky  was  used  to  inflame  the  mob  which  was  armed  by  the  citizens’ 
alliance  for  the  carnival  of  lawlessness.  The  instigators  of  this  mob 
did  not  direct  their  efforts  towards  the  detection  or  capture  of  the  crim¬ 
inals,  who  caused  the  explosion,  but  the  fury  and  the  vengeance  of  the 
drunken  mob  were  directed  to  the  destruction  of  the  union  stores,  which 
had  been  thorns  in  the  side  of  the  citizens’  alliance. 

ARE  THESE  LAW  ABIDING  CITIZENS? 

This  mob  was  led  by  such  “law  abiding”  citizens  as  A.  E.  Carl¬ 
ton,  a  banker;  H.  G.  Moore,  a  grocer  and  likewise  captain  of  a  mili¬ 
tary  company.  Mr.  Moore,  previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  union 
stores,  had  eight  delivery  wagons  in  distributing  merchandise  to  his 
customers.  On  the  day  upon  which  he  took  such  an  active  part  in  de¬ 
stroying,  robbing  and  looting  the  stores  of  his  successful  competitors, 
one  delivery  wagon  was  all  that  was  needed  to  deliver  goods  to  his  cus¬ 
tomers,  and  Mr.  Moore  was  so  nearly  out  of  business  that  he  was  forced 
as  a  matter  of  economy  to  act  as  driver  himself. 

Drs.  Hays  and  Driscoll,  physicians  of  Goldfield,  took  advantage  of 
the  occasion  and  replenished  their  larders  by  stealing  goods  from  the 
union  stores. 

Mr.  Berryman,  a  prominent  real  estate  dealer,  and  L.  S.  Moore, 
the  rape  fiend  and  mob  marshal  of  Goldfield,  who  is  a  paroled  convict, 
also  stole  large  quantities  of  provisions,  committing  their  “law  and  or¬ 
der”  depredations  in  company  with  the  hired  soldiers. 

What  these  vandals  were  unable  to  appropriate  to  themselves,  they 
wantonly  destroyed. 

The  bullpen  became  the  prison,  not  only  of  the  strikers,  but  of  par¬ 
ties  who  were  neutral  in  their  position. 

THE  VIGILANTE  COMMITTEE. 

♦ 

The  mine  owners  and  the  members  of  the  citizens’  alliance  dele¬ 
gated  to  themselves  the  authority  of  appointing  a  vigilante  committee, 
and  this  committee  assumed  the  power  to  imprison  and  deport  and  even 
went  so  far  as  to  force  resignations  from  public  office  by  the  gun  and  the 
noose.  And  these  are  the  men  who  now  want  the  commissioners  of  Tel- 


20 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


ler  county  to  appropriate  $200  to  distribute  their  slanderous  pamphlet, 
purporting  to  be  the  “Criminal  Record  of  the  Western  Federation  of 
Miners.”  Were  all  the  charges  contained  in  the  “red  book”  true,  the 
criminal  record  of  Peabody  as  governor  of  the  state,  controlled  by  the 
mine  owners’  association  and  the  citizens’  alliance,  is  so  odious  that 
the  record  as  charged  in  the  “red  book”  against  the  Federation  is  clean 
when  compared  with  the  monstrous  outrages  perpetrated  by  the  self- 
emulated  “law  and  order”  combination. 

Two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  honest,  upright  citizens,  the  ma¬ 
jority  of  whom  were  taxpayers,  were  convicted  by  a  vigilance  commit¬ 
tee  prejudiced  to  unionism  and  sentenced  to  deportation.  (  This  com¬ 
mittee  was  working  under  the  supervision  of  the  state  militia  and  was 
composed  of  the  following  prominent  citizens :  Mayor  F.  D.  French  of 
Victor,  Nelson  Franklin,  J.  B.  Cunningham,  F.  M.  Reardon,  postmaster 
of  Victor;  Judge  H.  McGarry,  D.  E.  Copeland  and  T.  J.  Daltzdell. 

ADMIT  THEIR  GUILT. 

In  order  that  the  public  may  see  that  they  gloat  over  their  infamous 
work,  we  extract  the  following  from  the  Cripple  Creek  Times,  one  of 
the  official  organs  of  the  union  wrecking  mob : 

There  have  been  many  exaggerated  reports  sent  throughout  the  country 
about  the  number  of  persons  deported  from  the  Cripple  Creek  district  in  order 
that  law  and  order  might  prevail.  Some  of  the  reports  have  even  placed  the 
number  up  in  the  thousands.  The  truth  is  that  only  227  men  were  deported 
in  any  manner  whatsover.  Some  of  these  were  taken  out  on  trains  and  others 
went  out  upon  receiving  notice  that  such  action  on  their  part  would  save 
them  going  with  those  on  special  trains.  A  complete  list  of  those  deported 
has  been  prepared  and  is  published  herewith.  It  is  the  first  complete  list 
published.  The  names  of  those  taken  out  on  the  trains  have  before  been 
printed,  but  this  is  the  first  time  that  a  list  has  appeared  of  those  deported 
in  every  way. 

“There  is  being  prepared  another  list,  but  it  will  not  be  ready  for  publica¬ 
tion  for  a  week  or  two.  It  is  what  is  known  as  the  “Can’t  Come  Back”  list. 
Upon  it  appears  not  only  the  names  published  now,  but  also  the  names  of 
those  who  skipped  the  district  without  receiving  any  kind  of  a  notice. 

“The  complete  list  is  as  follows: 

LIST  OF  THE  DEPORTED. 

A 

“Allen,  H.  A.,  Goldfield;  Aspgrain,  Fred,  Goldfield;  Andrews,  George. 
Cameron;  Allen,  Ernest,  Victor;  Anderson,  George,  Goldfield. 


MINE  OPERATORS'  ASSOCIATION. 


21 


B 

“Brewer,  Frank,  Independence;  Brown,  James,  Independence;  Brothers, 
J.  J.,  Goldfield;  Bolson,  A.  L.,  Victor;  Brick,  Tom,  Victor;  Benton,  W.  F., 
Goldfield;  Bean,  J.  R.,  Victor;  Beck,  James,  Independence;  Bubolo,  John, 
Pueblo;  Basinger,  M.  P.,  Cripple  Creek;  Burns,  John,  Victor;  Boaz,  Harry, 
Goldfield;  Beatty,  Benjamin  Irwin,  Cripple  Creek;  Briggs,  G.  C.,  Cripple 
Creek;  Bradley,  W.  G.,  Cripple  Creek. 


C 

“Carter,  W.  J.,  Goldfield;  Carlson,  Gus,  Anaconda;  Curwen,  H.,  Goldfield; 
Curwen,  Walter,  Goldfield;  Cooper,  George  E.,  Victor;  Gastello,  John,  Victor; 
Carter,  William  J.,  Victor;  Campbell,  Joseph  T.,  Goldfield;  Cooper,  Joseph 
W.,  Altman;  Campbell,  Peter,  Cripple  Creek;  Coughlin,  Robert,  Hollywood; 
Callahan,  Patrick,  Victor;  Cloud,  M.,  Cripple  Creek;  Comstock,  M.,  Victor; 
Campbell,  Angus,  Cripple  Creek;  Corbett,  Ed,  Victor;  Carey,  Patrick,  Victor; 
Costello,  Walter,  Cripple  Creek;  Cox,  Eugene  B.,  Florence;  Conway,  C.  H., 
Victor. 

D 

“Devenney,  T.  J.,  Anaconda;  Dickey,  S.  M.,  Victor;  Davis,  Henry,  Gold¬ 
field;  Dennis,  James,  Cripple  Creek;  Dunn,  Richard,  Cripple  Creek. 

E 

“Edwards,  Thomas  W.,  Victor;  Edwards,  John,  Elkton;  Evans,  Arthur, 
Victor;  Erwin,  Charles  E.,  Victor;  Eigle,  John,  Victor;  Egger,  Joe,  alias  Joe 

Krauz. 

F 

“Frey,  N.  D.,  Cripple  Creek;  Fish,  J.  E.,  Elkton;  Fayhan,  Frank,  Victor; 
Force,  Garfield,  Cripple  Creek;  Flees,  John,  Victor;  Fuller,  Bert,  Victor. 

G 

“Given,  Alf,  Goldfield;  Green,  Joe,  Independence;  Gilhooly,  Joe,  Victor; 
Grant,  James,  Victor;  Gonzales,  Delfido,  Springer,  New  Mexico;  Gallagher, 
John,  Cripple  Creek;  Gilfillan,  Eugene  C.,  Victor;  Gorman,  William  E.,  Victor; 
Gardner,  Frank,  Denver;  Gilfillan,  Eugene  C.,  Victor  (redeported);  Giradot, 
Gus  F.,  Cripple  Creek. 


H 

“Hoover,  W.  H.,  Independence;  Howard,  George,  Altman;  Hart,  Ed,  Vic¬ 
tor;  Hansen,  Hans,  Arequa;  Hansen,  Chris,  Arequa;  Hebner,  L.  F.,  \ictor; 
Hamilton,  Joe,  Goldfield;  Hess,  E.  A.,  Victor;  Hackward,  John,  Victor;  Hani- 
fan,  John,  Victor;  Hennessey,  James,  Victor;  Henderson,  J.  K.,  Independence; 
Harrington,  Mike,  Victor;  Hard,  Gilen  C.,  Cripple  Creek;  Herz,  Seligman, 
Goldfield.  Holtzolaw,  Higby,  Elkton;  Harper,  John,  Victor. 


22 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


J 


“Jensen,  J.  C.,  Victor;  James,  Charles,  Altman;  Johnson,  Emil,  Altman; 
Jones,  F.  E.,  Cripple  Creek;  Johnson,  Henry  Clay,  Cripple  Creek;  Johnson, 
Charles,  Altman;  Johnson,  Gaudy  E.,  Victor;  Jordon,  A.  F.,  Victor. 


“Ketchum,  William  D.,  Victor;  Kean,  H.  P.,  Goldfield;  Kelly,  Jerry,  Vic¬ 
tor;  Krieg,  Joe,  Independence;  Kearns,  Thomas,  Goldfield;  Kuhlman,  Thomas, 
Gillett;  Kelly,  John  S.,  Goldfield;  Kane,  H.  L.,  Victor;  Kilker,  Thomas,  Vic¬ 
tor;  Keagy,  Chris,  Altman;  Kennedy,  Pat,  Victor;  Keating,  Martin,  Victor; 
Kohn,  Buron,  Goldfield;  King,  Henry,  Victor;  Kirkpatrick,  Thomas,  Inde¬ 
pendence;  Krotz,  L.  E.,  Victor;  King,  Virgil,  Victor;  Krautz,  Joe,  alias  Joe 
Egger. 


“Logan,  John  E.,  Victor;  Lutz,  S.  E.,  Victor;  Lynch,  W.  T.  Goldfield;  Lup- 
low,  W.  C.,  Victor;  Lanterman,  Arthur,  Cripple  Creek;  Lemeraux,  Joe,  Gold¬ 
field;  Lee,  Hugh,  Victor;  Liss,  Otto,  Cripple  Creek;  Lally,  W.  F.,  Cripple 
Creek;  Lampson,  J.  H.,  Goldfield;  Labitsky,  Edward  J.,  Victor;  Lavden. 
Thomas,  Cripple  Creek. 


“McCall,  William,  Victor;  McParland,  E.  L.,  Victor;  McBride,  Dennis, 
Anaconda;  McChesney,  T.  L.,  Cameron;  McAvoy,  Sylvester,  Victor;  McGuire, 
Mike,  Victor;  McCaughney,  Phi,  Victor;  McCarty,  R.  C.,  Goldfield;  McCarty, 
Tim,  Goldfield;  McNulty,  P.  J.,  Victor;  McLean,  Albert,  (Dynamite  Shorty), 
Victor;  McDonald,  Peter,  Victor;  McMann,  R.  H.,  Cripple  Creek;  Mclsaac, 
Alex,  Victor;  McLeod,  Dan,  Denver;  McLeod,  D.  B.,  Victor;  McCarvill,  Pat¬ 
rick,  Victor;  McGuire,  J.  F.,  Victor;  McArdle,  B.  J.,  Elkton;  McIntyre,  J.  B., 


Victor. 


M 


“Miller,  Doy,  Victor;  Miller,  Sherman,  Goldfield;  Muir,  Walter,  Elkton; 
Murnane,  Frank,  Independence;  Maher,  Mike,  Arequa;  Milroy,  Anthony,  Gold¬ 
field;  Murphy,  William,  Victor;  Martin,  Norman  S.,  Victor;  Mullen,  Michael 
John,  Victor;  Martinez,  Santiago,  Antonito,  Colorado;  Moore,  H.  W.,  Victor; 
Marnoch,  Thomas,  Victor;  Murphy,  Tom  A.,  Victor;  Maulsby,  Jack  I.,  Victor. 


Nelson,  William,  Goldfield. 


“O’Neill,  D.  C.,  Victor;  O’Neill,  James,  Altman;  O’Brien,  Tom,  Victor; 
O’Brien,  Joe,  Elkton;  O’Bryan,  W.  W.,  Arequa. 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


23 


P 

"Paddock,  N.  V.,  Cripple  Creek;  Payne,  A.  J.,  Victor;  Post,  T.  I.,  Cripple 
Creek;  Paxson,  A.  C.,  Victor;  Peterson,  Alfred,  Goldfield;  Parrott,  E.  H., 
Goldfield;  Paul,  Henry,  Cripple  Creek;  Palmer,  L.  L.,  Goldfield 

R 

"Reinhard,  N.  P.,  Victor;  Riley,  Frank,  Victor;  Ruet,  Ed,  Cripple  Creek; 
Reilly,  Judge  W.  C.,  Independence;  Roach,  John,  Cripple  Creek;  Retallac, 
John,  Goldfield;  Retallac,  John,  Jr.,  Goldfield;  Reisener,  Max,  Cripple  Creek; 
Renner,  Sam,  Victor;  Rinker,  Thomas  J.,  Victor;  Rocks,  Tom,  Victor;  Riley, 
Charles,  Victor;  Rigg,  Joe,  Arequa;  Robinson,  Harry,  Altman;  Rumney, 
Thomas,  Cripple  Creek;  Roberts,  Peter,  Victor. 

S 

"Simms,  G.  B.,  Victor;  Schutt,  D.  W.,  Cripple  Creek;  Sullivan,  C.  A., 
Independence;  Spiker,  John,  Victor;  Schmidt,  Nick,  Cripple  Creek;  Saun¬ 
ders,  J.  T.,  Victor;  Sixtleman,  Rudolph,  Cripple  Creek;  Stapleton,  James, 
Victor;  Starbuck,  Harvey,  Independence;  Simpson,  A.  T.,  Goldfield;  Smith, 
W.  H.,  Goldfield;  Scott,  C.  S.,  Anaconda;  Shafer,  W.  A.,  Cripple  Creek; 
Sackett,  D.  P.,  Victor;  Shelley,  Mike,  Victor;  Shea,  John  P.,  Victor;  Sulli¬ 
van,  Mike  (M.  J.),  Goldfield;  Sullivan,  Jim,  Goldfield;  Shoemaker,  William, 
Independence. 

T 

"Trainer,  W.  F.,  Blue  Bird  mine;  Topping,  J.  L.,  Victor;  Trevette,  Fred, 
Goldfield;  Tolan,  Mike,  Victor;  Tiernan,  Peter,  Cripple  Creek. 

U 

“Ullmer,  Howard,  Goldfield. 

W 

"Williams,  Reese  Cripple  Creek;  Wilkins,  J.  E.,  Cripple  Creek;  Wright, 
James,  Altman;  Wilcox,  John  H.,  Independence;  West,  A.  A.,  Lower  Alt¬ 
man;  Ward,  David,  Anaconda;  Wherry,  H.  H.,  Anaconda;  Weld,  Charles, 
Altman;  Warner,  Walter,  Altman;  Wright,  Fred,  Independence;  Warren, 
Daniel,  Lawrence;  Williams,  George,  Arequa;  Wilson,  Tom,  Cripple  Creek. 

Z 

“Zuban,  Joseph,  Victor.’’ 


The  above  is  a  roll  of  honor — a  partial  list  of  the  names  of  men  who 
refused  to  surrender  their  allegiance  to  the  Western  Federation  of  Min¬ 
ers _ who  refused  to  accept  cards  in  a  mine  owners’  association  or  a  citi¬ 

zens’  alliance — who  refused  to  trample  under  foot  the  principles  of 


24 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


unionism.  All  of  these  men  who  have  been  branded  as  criminals  by 
the  vigilante  committee,  could  have  secured  employment  in  the  Cripple 
Creek  district  and  remained  as  residents  of  Teller  county,  providing, 
that  they  severed  their  connection  with  the  Western  Federation  of 
Miners  and  endorsed  the  murderous  policy  of  the  citizens'  alliance. 

Nearly  all  the  men  who  were  deported,  were  brutally  treated.  Many 
of  them  were  taken  hundreds  of  miles  from  their  homes  under  a  mili¬ 
tary  guard,  dumped  upon  barren  prairies  without  food  or  shelter.  John 
Harper,  T.  II.  Parfet,  William  Amole,  James  Frazier,  John  Higgens 
and  others  bear  the  scars  of  the  club,  whip  and  gun  in  the  hands  of 
Carlton's  thugs. 


RIOTERS. 

On  August  20,  1904,  the  citizens'  alliance  held  a  meeting  in  Victor 
and  sent  out  word  to  their  “bad  men”  to  assemble  in  Cripple  Creek 
The  accommodating  sheriff  had  absented  himself  from  the  county,  in 
order  that  the  citizens’  alliance  mob  might  have  full  sway  in  carrying 
out  the  hellish  work  planned  and  directed  by  A.  E.  Carlton,  ex-Mayor 
Nelson  Franklin  and  others. 

The  Under  Sheriff  L.  F.  Parsons,  the  secretary  of  the  citizens'  al¬ 
liance,  made  no  effort  to  resist  the  mob  while  they  were  destroying  and 
looting  the  property  of  the  Inter  State  Mercantile  Company  and  gath¬ 
ering  victims  to  be  brutally  driven  from  their  homes. 

Mr.  Parson  was  apprised  of  the  work  that  was  to  be  done  by  the 

mob,  and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  was  given  full  power  by  the 
county  commissioners  to  reinforce  the  sheriff’s  office  with  as  many 

deputies  as  was  required,  yet  he  failed  to  take  any  action  to  meet  the 

emergency.  T.  S.  Leland,  a  Methodist  minister  has  been  classed  among 

the  criminals  and  “agitators”  and  marked  for  deportation  and  is  now 

at  this  writing,  intrenched  in  his  home  awaiting  the  cowardly  mob. 

We  trust  that  if  the  mob  attacks  the  home  of  the  reverend  gentle¬ 
man  that  his  aim  will  be  as  unerring  as  that  of  George  Seitz,  who  when 
attacked  in  his  home  in  Cripple  Creek  surprised,  the  white-cappers  with 
the  result  that  two  prominent  citizens  are  in  the  hospital. 

If  the  Cripple  Creek  district  is  now  a  non-union  camp  as  the  “red 
book”  of  the  mine  owners'  association  declares,  then  why  did  the  mob 
of  August  20tli,  gather?  If  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners  has  been 
exterminated  then  why  are  the  “bad  men”  called  together  from  the 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


25 


various  towns  of  the  district  to  drive  other  men  into  exile  who  are  not 
identified  with  organized  labor? 

BROKEN  FAITH. 


The  “red  book"  charges  the  federation  with  violating  the  agree¬ 
ment  of  1894.  We  deny  this  assertion,  and  are  prepared  to  prove  that 
the  agreement  of  1894  was  never  lived  up  to  by  the  mine  operators.  The 
mine  owners  have  continuously  broken  faith  with  the  Western  Federa¬ 
tion  of  Miners,  by  open  and  vicious  discrimination  upon  the  Strong, 
Ajax,  Elkton,  El  Paso  and  other  mines.  The  “red  book”  proclaims 
that  the  minimum  wage  paid  in  the  Cripple  Creek  district  is  $3.00  per 
day  for  eight  hours,  but  no  mention  was  made  of  the  exorbitant  insur¬ 
ance  tax  that  was  forcibly  levied  upon  the  miners,  nor  the  hospital  fees 
that  were  deducted  from  their  monthly  checks.  Nor  does  it  mention 
that  a  movement  was  started,  with  Judge  Colburn  as  the  leading  fac¬ 
tor,  to  bring  about  the  reduction  of  wages. 


UNION  MEN  VINDICATED. 


The  “red  book”  charges  that  a  “strong  case  was  made  against 
Parker  and  Foster,”  and  that  “the  jury  selected  by  the  federation 
sheriff  promptly  brought  a  verdict  of  ‘not  guilty.’  ” 

The  testimony  that  was  introduced  by  the  mine  owners’  association 
was  of  such  a  character  as  to  fully  prove  the  innocence  of  Parker  and 
Foster,  and  furthermore,  the  testimony  showed  beyond  a  question  a 
conspiracy  on  the  part  of  the  mine  owners’  association  to  railroad  feder¬ 
ation  men  to  the  penitentiary.  The  jury  that  brought  in  the  verdict  of 
“not  guilty”  was  selected  from  the  remotest  part  of  Teller  county,  and 
were  made  up  of  farmers  and  saw  mill  men,  who  were  not  in  any  way 
.identified  with  organized  labor. 

THE  PRETENDED  “FRIEND  OF  LABOR  ” 

The  governor  has  frequently  declared,  during  the  past  year,  that 
he  was  not  opposed  to  organized  labor  but  was  waging  a  campaign  to 
exterminate  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  because  it  was  a  so¬ 
cialistic  organization.  If  the  governor  was  telling  the  truth,  why  did 
he  send  the  troops  to  Las  Animas  county,  and  declare  said  county  under 
martial  law?  The  dastardly  crimes  perpetrated  in  the  coal  fields  by  the 
mine  operators,  and  sanctioned  by  the  Governor,  were  as  outrageous  as 


26 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


were  committed  in  Telluride  or  the  Cripple  Creek  district.  The  United 
Mine  Workers,  affiliated  with  the  American  Federation  of  Labor,  were 
on  strike  and  waging  a  peaceable  battle  to  secure  an  eight-hour  day,  to 
enforce  the  bi-monthly  pay  day  and  the  anti-scrip  law.  The  United  Mine 
Workers  in  the  ‘‘red  book”  have  been  charged  with  no  crimes,  but  the' 
mine  operators  and  the  Governor  were  as  relentless  in  their  efforts  to 
crush  the  United  Mine  Workers  as  the  W.  F.  M. 


COAL  MINERS  SUFFER. 

Since  the  9tli  of  last  November,  when  the  coal  miners  went  on 
strike,  an  appalling  chapter  of  crime  has  been  written.  The  houses 
of  union  men  in  New  Castle  were  dynamited.  Inoffensive  and  unarmed 
citizens  of  Las  Animas  county  were  shot  down  in  cold  blood.  Eighty 
miners  were  driven  from  Berwind  to  Trinidad,  a  distance  of  more  than 
twenty  miles  like  a  herd  of  cattle,  without  food  or  water,  by  the  mounted 
guards  of  the  state  militia.  Families  were  evicted  from  their  habita¬ 
tions,  and  their  former  rude  hovels,  called  homes,  were  destroyed. 


INHUMAN  OUTRAGES. 


•  The  deportations  were  not  confined  to  the  metalliferous  mining- 
camps,  but  by  the  order  of  Major  Zepli  Hill,  husbands  and  fathers  were 
torn  from  the  bosom  of  their  families,  and  among  those  banished  was  one 
James  Ritchie,  a  veteran  soldier  with  two  honorable  discharges.  The 
deportations  were  not  even  confined  to  men  but  Major  Hill,  the  brutal¬ 
ized  ruffian,  in  the  employ  of  the  mine  operators,  sent  six  of  his  soldiers 
to  drive  “Mother”  Jones,  an  aged,  white-haired  woman,  from  the  coal 
fields  of  Las  Animas  county,  because  she  dared  to  raise  her  voice  in  be¬ 
half  of  humanity.  Is  there  any  crime  charged  in  the  “ red  book ’ '  against 
the  W.  F.  M.  as  dehumanized  as  the  emasculation  of  an  old  man  by  the 
hired  thugs  of  the  mine  operators. 


Joe  Raiz  was  castrated  and  left  upon  the  prairies  to  die,  and  finally 
did  die  from  the  wounds  inflicted.  William  F.  Wardjon,  Chris  Evans, 
D.  F.  Fairley  and  James  Mooney,- — representatives  of  the  United  Mine 
Workers — will  carry  to  their  graves  the  scars  of  the  brutal  assaults  that 
were  made  upon  them  by  the  hired  assassins  of  the  coal  barons. 


PREVENTED  AMICABLE  SETTLEMENT. 


In  Telluride,  the  Governor  entered  upon  another  campaign  of  ex¬ 
termination  at  the  request  of  the  citizens'  alliance,  and  the  same  brutal 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


27 


methods  were  afterwards  used  to  blacken  the  pages  of  civilization  as 

was  done  in  Teller  county. 

%/ 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  a  meeting  had  been  held  in  Denver 
between  the  mine  managers,  Bulkeley  Wells,  John  Chase  and  John  Her¬ 
ron  and  the  representatives  of  the  W.  F.  M.,  which  pointed  to  an  early, 
amicable  settlement,  the  managers  promising  to  return  to  Telluride  and 
audit  their  pay  rolls  and  expense  accounts  with  a  view  of  adjusting 
wages  to  harmonize  with  the  eight-hour  day  for  the  mill  men;  it  having 
been  agreed  by  the  federation  that  a  reduction  would  be  accepted  so 
that  there  would  be  no  material  increase  in  the  cost  of  the  treatment  of 
ores. 

The  citizens’  alliance,  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  vengeance,  called 
upon  the  governor,  the  pretended  “friend  of  organized  labor”  for  the 
troops,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  not  even  a  fist  fight  had  taken  place 
since  the  strike  was  declared.  But  the  persuasive  influence  of  Bankers 
Wrench  and  Wheeler,  and  Journalist  Curry,  the  leaders  of  the  citizens’ 
alliance,  had  the  desired  effect  and  resulted  in  a  reign  of  lawlessness, 
such  as  union  men  could  not  be  guilty  of.  Gambling  was  immediately 
reopened.  The  toughest  characters  in  the  country  were  imported  and 
employed  and  residents  were  terrorized. 

Men  were  arrested  without  warrant  and  held  without  charge. 
When  forced  to  either  release  or  file  charges  against  prisoners,  they 
would  be  charged  with  vagrancy  by  the  civil  authorities,  who  were  in 
league  with  the  mine  operators,  the  citizens’  alliance  and  the  military. 
In  thirty -three  such  cases  men  were  adjudged  guilty  and  told  that 
their  fines  would  be  $25 — fifteen  days  work  on  the  streets — that  they 
would  be  compelled  to  leave  Telluride  or  if  they  returned  to  work  in 
the  mines  at  the  terms  dictated,  their  sentences  would  be  remitted. 
When  these  cases  were  appealed  every  man  was  acquitted  by  Judge 

t  # 

Wardlaw,  as  the  evidence  showed  a  brazen  conspiracy. 

OUR  TRUTHFUL  GOVERNOR. 

While  the  military  was  in  command  nearly  200  men  were  driven 
from  their  homes.  These  men  who  were  exiled  appealed  to  the  Governor 
through  President  Moyer  of  the  W.  F.  M.  and  the  Governor  gave  as¬ 
surances  that  the  deported  men  could  return,  as  shown  by  the  following 
telegrams ; 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


28\ 


Ouray,  Colorado,  March  24,  1904. 


James  IT.  Peabody,  Governor  State  of  Colorado. 


Sir: — In  line  with  your  suggestion,  we  have  applied  for,  and  been 
granted  an  injunction  restraining  the  mine  owners’  association  and  citi¬ 
zens’  alliance  of  Telluride  from  interfering  with  the  return  of  citizens 
driven  by  a  mob  from  that  place  on  March  14th.  These  citizens  will 
return  to  their  homes.  Will  they  receive  the  protection  of  the  national 


guard ? 

o 


CHARLES  IT.  MOYER. 


The  governor  sent  the  following  reply: 

Denver,  Colorado,  March  25,  1904. 
Chas.  Moyer,  President  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners. 

Answering  your  telegram  of  yesterday,  I  have  no  disposition  to  in¬ 
terfere  with,  or  interrupt  the  movements  of  unarmed  citizens  going  from 
place  to  place  in  a  lawful  manner,  but  armed  bodies  of  men  will  not 
be  permitted  to  march  in  any  portion  of  the  state  other  than  the  state 

ml  ltia'  JAMES  H.  PEABODY,  Governor. 

Acting  upon  the  telegram  of  the  Governor,  eleven  of  the  deported 
men  made  an  attempt  to  return  to  their  homes,  unarmed,  and  were 
met  by  the  state  militia,  taken  from  the  train  and  forced  to  walk  to 
Ridgway,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  and  warned  never  to  return.  This 
is  the  notorious  liar  whom  the  Republican  party  proposes  to  nominate 
as  their  standard  bearer  in  the  state  of  Colorado. 

To  recount  the  crimes  that  have  been  committed  by  the  mine  own¬ 
ers’  association  and  the  citizens’  alliance,  with  the  approval  of  the 
Governor  of  the  state,  would  fill  volumes  and  exhaust  the  vocabulary  of 
the  English  language. 


WHY  THE  DECISION. 

The  governor,  and  those  whom  he  is  serving,  and  their  followers 
point  with  evident  pride  to  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  which 
upholds  that  the  civil  authority  is  subordinate  to  the  military,  but  when 
we  remember  that  the  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  who  wrote 
the  decision,  is  a  mine  owner  and  president  of  the  Bank  of  Telluride, 
and  when  Ave  remember  that  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  did 
drag  the  ermine  of  the  judiciary  so  low  as  to  accept  transportation  from 
a  railroad  corporation,  avc  submit  that  he  may  not  be  above  contami¬ 
nation.  The  following  letters  throAv  no  luster  upon  the  purity  and  in¬ 
tegrity  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state  of  Colorado ; 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


29 


Denver,  August  29,  1903. 
State  of  Colorado,  Supreme  Court  Chambers. 

Gentlemen: — Please  accept  thanks  for  transportation  inclosed  in 
your  favor  of  to-day.  W.  H.  GABBETtT. 

Messrs.  Teller  &  Dorsey,  City. 

State  of  Colorado,  Supreme  Court  Chambers. 

Denver,  Colorado,  June  16,  1904. 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  your  favor.  I  asked 
Mr.  Rogers  to  speak  to  you,  because  he  knew  better  than  any  one  else 
what  I  had  done  for  the  railroad  attorneys,  and  stand  ready  to  do  when¬ 
ever  I  can.  I  hope  to  be  able  to  prove  my  appreciation  of  this  favor. 
Yours,  very  truly, 

C.  C.  Dorsey,  Esq.  JOHN  B.  COOKE. 

When  the  above  letters  are  written  by  men  connected  with  the 
‘‘temples  of  justice ”  what  can  be  expected  from  the  legislative  and  ex¬ 
ecutive  departments  of  state? 

PROPHETIC  WORDS  OF  BOYCE. 

The  greatest  prudence  should  be  exercised  by  the  electors  in  the 
selection  of  those  who  are  to  enact  and  administer  the  laws  of  a  great 
state.  It  was  with  a  prophetic  vision  that  Edward  Boyce,  for  six  years 
the  president  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  foresaw  the  indus¬ 
trial  troubles  which  would  necessitate  workingmen  being  in  a  position 
to  protect  their  homes,  their  lives  and  their  families,  and  we  agree  with 
the  ‘red  book”  when  it  proclaims,  “The  right  of  self-defense  is  older 
than  all  written  law.  ’  ’ 

No  men  would  have  been  banished  from  their  homes  in  Colorado,  if 
they  had  stood  upon  their  constitutional  rights,  which  clothes  them  with 
the  right  to  bear  arms. 

We  point  with  lasting  pride  to  the  words  of  Edward  Boyce,  when 
lie  said:  “I  strongly  advise  you  to  provide  every  member  with  the  latest 
improved  rifle,  which  can  be  obtained  from  the  factory  at  a  nominal 
price.  I  entreat  you  to  take  action  on  this  important  question,  so  that 
in  two  years  we  can  hear  the  martial  tread  of  25,000  armed  men  in  the 
ranks  of  labor.” 

May  it  be  that  this  country  in  the  near  future  shall  be  like  Switzer¬ 
land — every  man  a  soldier  with  his  home  equipped  with  the  weapons  to 
protect  himself  and  family  from  mob  violence. 


30 


CATEGORY  OF  CRIME  OF  THE 


LABOR’S  PHILOSOPHY. 

“LABOR  PRODUCES  ALL  WEALTH;  WEALTH  BELONGS 
TO  THE  PRODUCER  THEREOF.  ’ ’ — Charter,  Western  Federation  of 
Miners. 


MINE  OPERATORS’  ASSOCIATION. 


31 


LINCOLN’S  PHILOSOPHY. 

« 

“AND  INASMUCH  AS  MOST  GOOD  THINGS  HAVE  BEEN 
PRODUCED  BY  LABOR,  IT  FOLLOWS  THAT  ALL  SUCH 
THINGS  BELONG  OF  RIGHT  TO  THOSE  WHOSE  LABOR  HAS 
PRODUCED  THEM.” — Lincoln’s  Message  to  Congress,  1864. 


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